FOURTH ANNUAL SHOW OF THE NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
293 
FOURTH ANNUAL SHOW 
OF THE 
NEW YORK STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
This great event came off at Poughkeepsie on 
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the 17th, 
18th, and 19th of September; and was more nu¬ 
merously attended, and realized a much larger 
amount of funds to the Society, than any exhibi¬ 
tion yet held. The show-ground enclosed about 
nine acres, half a mile southeast of the village, on 
a broad, smooth, rolling height of green sward, 
commanding one of the most magnificent views of 
mountain, river, hill, and dale, and broad cultivated 
plains, dotted with villages and farmeries, and 
clumps of shady forests, that can be found upon 
the banks of the noble Hudson. 
b 
Show Ground.—Fig. 58. 
We visited the ground three days previous to 
the commencement of the show, and found every¬ 
thing already prepared for it, by the indefatigable 
Committee of Arrangements of the citizens of 
Poughkeepsie, aided by the active exertions of Dr. 
Beekman, the President, and Mr. Henry O’Reilly, 
Secretary of the Societv, and James S. Wadsworth, 
Esq. of Geneseo, who from having been President 
for the two preceding years, was enabled by his 
experience to be of great service in the general 
management and direction of affairs. 
The above is not an exact sketch of the form of 
the show-ground, it being angling at the four 
corners, and narrower at one end than the other; 
but the details are pretty correct, and thus formed, 
gives the reader a better idea of the whole arrange¬ 
ment. The square lines represent a close board 
fence 9 feet high, enclosing an area about 850 ft. 
long by 500 ft. broad; the dotted lines, a post and 
open board fence about 4 feet high, to which 
the cattle and horses were fastened, leaving be¬ 
tween that and the close fence, a space of 35 
feet wide for the promenade of carriages; «, 
carriage entrance gate, at the right and left of 
which were several small gates for visiters on foot ; 
b, entrance gate for the stock ; 1, General Com¬ 
mittee room; 2, ticket office; 3, a large tent about 
240 feet in circumference, with a staging at one 
end, and seats like an amphitheatre all around, for 
the accommodation of speakers before the society 
and the reading of Committee reports ; the dots at 
the right and left were small tents for the use of 
different Committees to hold consultations and 
make out reports—the centre dot of the five at the 
left, a large marquee, pitched expressly for the 
accommodation of editors, and reporters, and fur¬ 
nished with stationery and refreshments; 4, Floral 
Hall, with board sides and roof, 9 ft. posts, 36 ft. 
wide by 114 ft. long, with a broad roof-shaped 
stand running through the centre, for fruits and 
flowers—the second in rear, Vegetable Hall, 25 by 
100 ft. for fruits and vegetables—the third, Manu¬ 
facturers’ Hall, 25 by 100 ft. for domestic fabrics— 
the fourth, Farmers’ Hall, for agricultural imple¬ 
ments; 5, rows of pens for sheep, swine, and poul¬ 
try. In addition to the above, there were well fur¬ 
nished refectories for the refreshment of visiters in¬ 
side, these were named after different counties 
in the state; also two pumps of excellent water at 
c, c, the right and left corners of the show-ground, 
furnished with tin cups, attached by small chains, 
for public drinking, and strong iron bound buckets 
for the stock. As the weather was insufferably 
hot and dry, the pumps proved a most grateful 
accommodation to the visiters, and were constantly 
surrounded by them to quench their parched thirst. 
No food was provided inside for the stock, and 
considering that the sheep, swine, and some of the 
other animals, could not well leave the ground at 
night, and their owners being obliged to stand by 
and guard them, they suffered greatly from hunger 
during the show. All other arrangements on the 
ground which fell under our observation were ad¬ 
mirable, quite as good as those we found at the 
show of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 
and reflect high credit on all concerned in making 
them. 
Trial of Plows .—Tuesday the 17th, the ex¬ 
hibition opened by a trial of a small number of 
plows, on the farm of Mr. Warrall, half a mile 
east of the show-ground, and did not conclude till 
the next day. The Delano plow was awarded the 
first premium. It turned a 6 by 12 inch furrow, 
with a draught of 300 lbs. There was little to in¬ 
terest the visiter during this day, save the con¬ 
tinued arrival of people and stock in town, and 
articles for exhibition at the different Halls at the 
show-ground. 
Rush to the Show-Ground .—Wednesday the 
18th, the sun had scarcely risen from his fiery 
